


Clever Strategy

by sceal



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Canon Het Relationship, Denise/Tara, F/M, From Sex to Love, Happy Ending, Kickass Michonne, Lori/Rosita, Michonne Is A Wee Bit Forceful, Mike/Terry, Minor Maggie Greene/Glenn Rhee, Okay A Few People Are Still Dead, Protective Rick, Sasha/Shane, Secret Relationship, Violence Against Walkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-14 09:22:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7165391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sceal/pseuds/sceal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michonne and her family are found in the woods and brought to Alexandria. At which point, Michonne in rapid succession seduces Rick and unwittingly steals all of his friends.</p><p>AU where a lot of people never died, including Michonne’s son, baby-daddy, and even the baby-daddy’s friend Terry. Michonne and Mike broke up a couple of years before the story starts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They parked their cars far from the woods so they could quietly surround the walkers. Rick had set off with a group of a dozen people to make sure the small herd never reached Alexandria.

Only to find someone already doing the work for them.

A lone black man fought off the entire mob in the middle of a clearing, wielding nothing but a samurai sword.  An impressive sight and a testament to the stranger's courage, but not only that, the guy was winning. He’d already cut a swath through two thirds of the pack.

“What the hell?” Daryl said.

The swordsman shifted his stance, revealing his silhouette in profile, including the curve of a small breast.

The warrior was a woman. 

The blood of her victims drenched the entire length of her body.  Her dreadlocks swung through the air with each fatal slash of her katana. The undead shuffled hesitantly around her, trying and failing to pinpoint the origin of the threat.

“How is she killing so many of them?” Glenn said.

Rick had no idea. He'd never seen anyone fight like this.

“She’s got two of them tied by a chain,” Daryl said in a tone approaching awe. “The armless ones with the missing jaws.”

“Should we help her?” Glenn said, though he remained rooted to the ground. “We should probably help her.”

“She don’t look like she needs it,” Daryl said.

“She might not appreciate it either,” Rick said.

The rest of his group was positioned around the perimeter of the clearing, most of them clasping their weapons tightly, all of them intently focused on the supremely competent fighter.  Some of his people finally tore their gaze away from the gory spectacle to check in with him. Rick hand signaled that they should hide deeper in the woods and he waited until they followed his command before returning his full attention to the woman who could easily chop off all of their heads.

She soon killed the final assailant and stilled. She stood with blood dripping down the blade of her sword, her two tame walkers docile at the end of their leash. With her back to him, she said, “Enjoy the show?”

*

Michonne turned to face the three men. One guy wielded a crossbow, the two others had guns. The guns weren’t pointed at her but they were within easy reach. The men themselves were relatively clean-shaven with meat on their bones.

The rest of the nice and plump people hiding in the forest bore weapons too.

They had a camp, one with abundant supplies.

 “How many walkers have you killed?” one of the white men asked calmly, like it was his regular greeting for strangers. He’d talked first so he had to be the boss. 

So there was the boss, the redneck with the bow, and the pretty East Asian one.

 “Count them yourself,” Michonne said.

“I did,” the redneck said. “I count forty-seven dead ones.”

“Since the beginning,” the boss said. “How many?”

“Fuck you.” Michonne frowned. “Who are you?”

“I’m Rick,” the boss said. “This is Daryl and Glenn.”

“What’s your name?” Glenn said.

“Michonne.”

 “How many people have you killed?” Rick said.

“I could easily kill three more,” Michonne said.

“Why?” Rick said.

 _Because I will survive at any cost_. Michonne glared at them. Who were these assholes? If they wanted to kill her, they’d have done it already, but they were so annoying she considered decapitating them just on principle. That’d teach them to have manners.

But she reigned in her urges.  These nosy men might be willing to share their evidently abundant resources with her family if she played nice.

“Let’s take her in,” Glenn said.

 “She threatened to kill us,” Daryl said.

“But she didn’t,” Glenn said.

“You have a camp?” Michonne said.

“Yes,” Glenn said.

Michonne didn’t let her excitement reach her face.  She needed to get her family to safety.  They’d never come across an opportunity this promising and they’d never needed it more.

She had a final question. “What would I need to do to stay?”

“Don’t kill any of us,” Glenn said. “Contribute in some way – fighting, building, gardening. That’s pretty much it.”

“Alright,” Michonne said. “You can come out now!”

“Mommy?”

*

Rick watched a little boy - maybe two years older than Judith – walk out of the brush. The toddler ran over to clutch one of his mother’s legs. He was completely unalarmed by the blood on her clothes, so it must be a regular sight.

But he was scared of strangers.

Michonne was a mother. That made her an even more promising new addition to their community. Despite living in tough conditions, she was still humane enough to care for a child.

Michonne watched Rick wearily before putting her sword in its sheath on her back.  She picked up her son, who lay his head on her chest, like it was his customary pillow.

Two large black men came out of the woods, one of them injured and leaning against the other, who carried a backpack.  If Rick wasn’t mistaken, that bag contained all of their worldly possessions.

“Take us to your camp,” the uninjured man said.

“Is he bit?” Daryl said.

“No,” the uninjured man said. “He hurt his leg. Babe, show them.”

The second man leaned down to lift the leg of his pants, revealing a swollen ankle with not a scratch on it.

“We’re not taking the walkers with us,” Daryl said.

Michonne set her toddler on the ground and easily beheaded the two chained walkers. Ever the practical woman, she picked up the gory chain.

“You won’t be needing that,” Rick said.

She met his gaze, sizing him up and finding him lacking. “I’m bringing it with me.”

Yeah, this one would be trouble.  The thought irritated and exhilarated him in equal parts. 

“Fine,” Rick said. 

She gave him a final glare before handing the chain off to one of the men so that she could return her son to her arms. “Let’s go.”

It was a tight fit in the car.

*

Later that night, Rick didn’t set out to check on how the new arrivals were settling in.  After the meeting about the trade deal with the Hilltop Colony, he walked by the house Carol had given them.  It was merely on his way back to his own home. The light was on in the living room, the curtains were open and Michonne stood by the front window, looking out onto the street.

She was beautiful.

Everything, from the tall, dark outline of her lean muscled frame, to her unnatural stillness, to the death-glare she favored, it all sent a heady rush charging through him.

So he walked up the front steps.  Mindful that it was past her son’s bedtime, he ignored the doorbell and knocked lightly.

She quickly opened the door. “Am I not allowed to look out my own window?”

“Forgive me,” Rick said. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I wanted to make sure you were settling in.”

Rick had never been stared at so intently in his life.  He wasn’t fool enough to think that it meant anything, that she was treating him special. He’d seen her eyeball everyone with the same intensity.  He got the feeling she saw a lot more than people wanted her to.

“Come inside,” she finally said, shocking him.

 _Come on, Rick_ , a little voice inside him said. _Don’t make the lady repeat herself. Just follow her inside_. A memory of her lithe limbs and graceful movements with the sword flashed through him. Rick cleared his suddenly parched throat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

She lifted a brow and held his gaze, utterly unashamed. “Why not?”

Rick laughed his shock that he was here, having this conversation. _I really, really want to,_ he could tell her. But it would be inappropriate.  She’d just arrived. She was still acting in survival mode. He couldn’t take advantage of the fact that she wanted a roof over her head and saw sleeping with him as insurance that she’d get to keep one.

“This isn’t that kind of place.” Rick felt proud of himself for making the responsible, leader-worthy choice.

Michonne didn’t look impressed. “Does your Safe-Zone have some kind of celibacy clause?”

Rick coughed. “I meant you don’t have to do me any favors.”

“I want you to fuck me,” Michonne said.

“Yeah,” Rick said. “Yeah, alright, I’m coming inside.”

Michonne abandoned him at the threshold and disappeared deeper into the house, confident that he would follow.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

When Rick walked by her new house, Michonne was trying to get a feel for the Safe-Zone, contemplating the suburban neighborhood.  Amazed, because it was such a far cry from life in the woods and even farther from her past life in her expensive high-rise condo in the heart of the city.

She was lonely. Plus, inviting Rick inside was the smart thing to do. Sleeping with a man was the fastest way to get to know him.

She initiated the first kiss but he responded in kind, his grip tight on her hips while she led him to a guest bedroom on the main floor.

“You welcome all your guests like this?” he said when she pushed him onto the single bed. It was a tight fit but they’d make do. She didn’t want to bring him close to her family sleeping upstairs, even though there were several large empty bedrooms.

“This will be better if you don’t talk,” she said, something about the easy amusement in his voice rubbing her the wrong way. He sounded teasing, playful.  There was a time and place for that, but it wasn’t here when she was desperate and ravenous.

“You don’t need to do this,” he said, probably misunderstanding her anger.

“Shut up,” she said.

He worried she was whoring herself out for her family, but he was wrong.  She'd torture a man before she'd sleep with one she didn't find attractive. She wanted this, certainly she had ulterior motives, but she also just wanted to fuck him.

She didn’t have the time or inclination for foreplay. She’d noticed the box of condoms discretely stashed in the upstairs bathroom cabinet and was grateful to that Carol woman who’d had the foresight to supply a girl with contraceptives.

“Be naked when I come back,” Michonne said. 

She returned with the prophylactics and learned one thing about Rick : he was a leader who could also follow commands when it suited him. The man sat on the bed, gloriously naked.

“If you’ve changed your mind, I can-,” Rick said, his words trailing off when Michonne stripped.

Nude, she walked until she stood cradled between his open thighs. He grabbed the cheeks of her ass and used this leverage point to pull her closer. She appreciated his initiative even more when he leaned forward and tongued her nipples like a starving man.

She meant to aggressively grab onto his hair and clutch his head to her breast.  Instead, her hands of their own volition gently caressed the contours of his body, like they belonged to some lovesick fool.

His warm skin beneath her felt vital to her survival, as equally important to her well-being as the food and shelter they’d given her.

Rick made her gasp when he lifted her, literally picked her up in his arms like she was his blushing bride, and laid her down on the bed.  Of course the Southern gentleman wanted to fuck her in the missionary position.  He settled over her, his beard scratching the sensitive skin of her chest.

He took the scenic route guiding his hungry lips up to hers.  He wooed her with soft, open-mouthed kisses.  She drank him in.  His cock nudged against her thigh and he grabbed and raised her hips.

Michonne braced herself for his penetration and gasped when he thrust into her.  He found a steady rhythm and moved one of his hands to her clit, gently rubbing above the hood.  He watched her face and gradually increased the pressure, finding by her uncontrollable moans just the right way to make her body sing.

“I want to make you come first,” he panted, “but it’s been so long for me, I’m sorry, I can’t-”

His sentence broke off and sweat dotted his brow. He gritted his teeth and tried to slow down.

She took pity on the man. She liked orgasms but she liked the closeness and raunchiness of sex just as much. “Just come.”

He tried to hold out a little longer.  Michonne was starting to get to a really, really good place when he sped up and peaked.  She held him as he gasped, his head cradled by the dip of her shoulder.  She’d forgive him for not giving her an orgasm, but if he fell asleep on her, she’d stab him in the neck.

He raised his head, his grin suspiciously devilish. “Now let me make it up to you.”

Michonne rolled her eyes. She’d heard that before.

But then Rick trailed kisses down her stomach and started eating her out like she was his favorite meal.

Jesus. Oh Jesus. 

Michonne clenched around him, her entire body flashing hot and her mind going somewhere higher.  She came back down to earth but Rick wasn’t done with her yet.

The final thing Michonne learned about Rick was that he was a man of his word.

*

 “What if someone else had knocked on the door?” Rick said. He rubbed circles with his thumb on her stomach.  She wouldn’t let him touch her anywhere else.  The multiple orgasms had reduced her to a puddle of overly sensitive nerve endings.

She had to give it to the man, he knew how to make a girl feel welcome on her first day in his compound. “My evening would’ve been just as fun.”

Rick barked a laugh.

“You can go now,” Michonne said. She wouldn’t be able to sleep if he stayed.  There was only one way she could.

Rick nodded and rose from the bed. He dressed. “Good night.”

She showered and went upstairs to put on a pair of pyjamas, enjoying the luxury of freshly laundered sleepwear. Officially her bedroom was to the left, but she went to the big bedroom.

Throughout their post-apocalyptic nomadic existence, she’d made sure to give Mike and Terry moments of privacy.  When it was safe, she’d take Andre Anthony with her and they’d go exploring to give the men some time alone.  But at night the three of them always fell asleep curled up together, with Andre Anthony between them. 

Now that they had big-ass walls between them and the walkers, she'd make an effort to fix the habit, but it wouldn’t be tonight.  While the two men spooned on the other side of the bed, she pulled her son to her chest and fell asleep.

*

Michonne woke early.  The sky was a midnight blue, just starting to change colors in anticipation of the dawn. Andre Anthony still dozed against her chest.

“You had sex with Rick last night,” Mike said. He lay on the bed a few feet away, contemplating her with a concerned expression.

That hadn’t been a question, so Michonne didn’t bother to reply.

“Did he force you?” Mike said.

“No,” Michonne said.

“You’d tell me if he had?” Mike said.

“No,” Michonne said.

“Michonne…” Mike said. “We can find another place.”

“Or we can kill Rick,” Terry murmured sleepily from the other side of the bed. “Give me a few days to find a scapegoat- I’m thinking Daryl- and we’ll murder him.”

“We’re staying here,” Michonne said.

The doctor who’d checked them over last night had been a lesbian, and Glenn wasn’t the only person of color who lived here. So this community at the very least wasn’t solely composed of white supremacist, homophobic hell spawn, unlike many of the others they’d come across. They didn’t seem to be cannibals either.

 “Alright,” Mike said. “What’s the plan?”

“We need to make ourselves useful,” Michonne said. “When it’s daylight, we’ll go to the infirmary.  Denise can tell us what we can do to help out.”

*

“You should rest, meet the neighbors,” Denise told all of them.  “Seriously, we’ve got everything covered. Why don’t you start your introductions at Carol’s house? That’s where Rick’s group has their daycare.  It should open in a few hours.”

“Okay,” Michonne said. They didn’t want her to do anything?

 “Hey, Andre Anthony,” Denise said. “Do you want to play with a stethoscope?”

Andre Anthony looked up at Michonne, silently asking for her permission.

“It’s fine, honey,” Michonne said.

Andre Anthony accepted the medical tool in his small hands, staring at it with wonder.  Michonne crouched down to show him how it worked. “You put the buds in your ears, and then with this metal part you can hear people’s heartbeat.”

“Careful,” Denise said. “It’ll make everything really loud.”

Andre Anthony put the buds in his ears and Michonne placed the stethoscope over her heart, the metal cold on her chest. “Can you hear it?”

Andre Anthony listened intently. “Yes.”

Emotion swelled within her. They’d finally found someplace good.  Here, her baby boy could learn and play and grow.

“Where does Carol live?” Mike said.

“Rick’s people have those three houses close to the gate,” Denise said. “One’s more of a bachelor pad, while the families with kids are divided between the other two houses. Actually, you can probably stop at Rick’s house now, if you want.  Judith will be up. Of course Judith is a little younger than you, Andre Anthony, but I know she’d love to meet you.”

Michonne wasn’t particularly concerned that Rick had a kid she didn’t know about. If he was dating someone though, she wouldn’t sleep with him again and she’d know something else about him: Alexandria’s fabulous leader was a cheater.

 She smiled at Andre Anthony. “Hear that? You’ll get to play with Judith.”

Andre Anthony nodded shyly.

Mike beat her to the next obvious question. “Rick is Judith’s kid?”

“Either Rick’s or Shane’s,” Denise said. “Shane’s going outside the compound to gather supplies today and the idiot still won’t let me join them.”

“That’s too bad,” Mike said, clearly preparing to return to his interrogation so he could gather more information on Rick. “So about-”

Instead of grilling the nice doctor, there was a faster and more accurate way to answer the question as to whether Rick was a good man or not. A community was only as good as its leader, and discovering how he treated her the morning after, in front of his friends and family, would reveal a great deal.

 “Thanks for your help, Denise,” Michonne said. “Let’s go meet Judith.”


	3. Chapter 3

A little after eight in the morning, Rick was playing with Judith on the living room floor when Shane came downstairs.

Shane took Judith in his arms. “Good morning sunshine.  How did you sleep?”

Shane continued his conversation with their child, responding to the baby’s babbling. Rick couldn’t stop his thoughts from straying back to last night.  Michonne had been incredible.  He had so many other things he should be thinking about, but he couldn’t help trying to plan when they could do that again. 

There was a sudden quiet, and Rick looked up to find Shane smirking down at him.

“What?” Rick said, irritated.  They lived together because of Judith, but on most days their friendship was a thing of the past.

Shane’s smirk got bigger. “You slept with Jessie last night.”

Rick frowned. “What makes you say that?”

“Don’t try to deny it. It’s clear as day that you did,” Shane said. “Beth said you collected Judith two hours after the meeting.”

“You’re keeping tabs on me?” Rick said.

“Even if she hadn’t said anything, I’d know. You hadn’t gotten laid in a year. You were wound up tighter than Abraham’s asshole.”

“Thank you for that image,” Rick said. “Give me my baby back.”

Shane handed her over because it was still technically Rick’s week. Lori got her every other week and Rick and Shane alternated. Rick only had the main parenting role seven days a month, but at least he got to see his kid everyday. 

Last night, even if Michonne had wanted him to sleep over, he would've had to decline because he wouldn't trade being woken up at some ungodly hour by a piercing wail for anything.  He cherished those quiet moments when he gave Judith her formula and rocked her back to sleep. 

 “So are you two going steady?” Shane said. “You gonna get her a corsage and take her to prom?”

“My personal life is none of your concern,” Rick said.

There was a knock on the front door so Rick went to answer.

Michonne stood on her doorstep with her family.

Rick wondered what had brought her to his home but mostly he was just happy to see her.

She wore clean clothes, tight pants that hugged her ass and a loose white shirt that highlighted her dark brown skin. She gave him a surly glare, which from her was really a sign of affection.  He fought the urge to kiss her in greeting, mindful of their audience.

“This must be Judith.” Michonne smiled, making Rick a little jealous of his own baby.  Michonne had never smiled at him like that. “We wanted to meet her.”

“Come in,” Rick said.

“My daughter is beautiful, isn’t she?” Shane said.

“ _My_ daughter,” Lori said as she came downstairs in a housecoat. She took the little girl from Rick’s arms and he surrendered her. The one thing Shane and Rick agreed about was that Lori always had the right to request her child whenever she wanted.

“Andre Anthony has three parents too,” Mike said. “I’m Mike, this is my partner, Terry, and Andre’s mother, Michonne.”

“Judith has six parents,” Lori said. “Rick’s my ex-husband, Shane is the guy I was seeing when Rick was presumed dead and Rosita is the love of my life.”

“It’s so fortunate that even in these troubled times we find love,” Mike said. “You said something about six parents?”

 Mike was transparently trying to figure out if Rick was seeing someone besides Michonne. Rick couldn’t begrudge the man for being protective of the mother of his kid.

“She meant five,” Rick said, though he felt a bit uncomfortable.  Truth be told, he’d started to date Jessie, not that they’d done more than kiss. He’d completely forgotten about her last night. He’d have to track her down and clearly end it.

“Oh sure,” Shane chuckled. “Jessie will love to hear that. Everyone knows about you two. Why are you trying to keep her your dirty little secret?”

For the umpteenth time, Rick wanted to punch the daylights out of his former best friend. “I’m not seeing Jessie.”

“Rick, no one cares that you shot her husband,” Shane said. “Except maybe her sons, I’d watch out for them – but no one else cares.”

Scratch that. Rick no longer wanted to punch Shane, he wanted to kill him.

“Her husband was physically abusive,” Rick said, trying to catch Michonne’s attention. “It was self-defense.”

“Rick has many faults, but he's telling the truth about Pete,” Lori said. “Now, maybe we can change the subject to something more child friendly?”

“Before we do,” Michonne said, and Rick’s eyes flew to her face. What would she say? Would she bring up last night? Did he want her to? “Shane, Denise told me you were going out on a run. I’d like to join you.”

Well shit, he’d prefer that she scream from the rooftops that they’d fucked than she request to talk to that fool Shane about putting herself in harm’s way.

“It’s your first day here,” Rick said. “Why don’t you take time to relax?”

Rick ignored the suddenly intent and darting glance Lori sent between him and Michonne.  Ex-wives were irritatingly perceptive.

Michonne spared him a brief, dismissive glance. “Shane?”

“We’d love to have you,” Shane said.

Rick frowned. He wanted to volunteer to go too, but Shane and him had vowed that one of them should stay on the compound at all times.  And Sasha and Shane had carefully worked out their work schedule so they could spend as much time together as possible.

Still, he watched Michonne’s family leave with Shane with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  He’d only just found her.

He didn’t expect the punch to his arm.

“Ow.” Rick stared at Lori. “What was that for?”

“Men.” Lori shook her head. “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t do what I know you did. And I’m going to stay out of your messy, messy business and keep quiet.”

"I didn't do anything," Rick said. They were separated but that didn't stop Lori from getting mad at him for no reason.

"You slept with Michonne," Lori said.

"Ah," Rick said. "Yeah."

"You're not even going to try to deny it?" Lori said.

"Nope," Rick said. He wanted to be a model leader for his people, but he also really wanted to sleep with Michonne again.  So, at the risk of getting hit twice in one day, he went to find Jessie.

*

 “Where have you been?” Jessie said.  “I haven’t seen you in a week.”

“Sorry,” Rick said. “I’ve been busy.”

“Come over for supper tonight,” Jessie said. “It’ll give Carl and the boys a chance to hang out.”

Rick winced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

They stood out on her front porch. Rick had felt it best to remain where there were witnesses, so Michonne wouldn’t think he’d cheated on her.

 “Why not? Is something wrong? You can tell me what’s bothering you,” Jessie said. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” Rick said.

Rick considered telling her he was seeing someone else.  But news would spread and he didn’t know how the community would react. If Jessie went the way of a woman scorned, people might take her side instead of Michonne’s.

“I think we should stop dating,” Rick said.

“What? You killed my husband to be with me!”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Rick said. His feelings had clouded his judgement and impacted the severity of his punishment. He couldn’t regret protecting a woman from abuse, but he wished he’d put Pete in jail instead of murdering him. “You’re a wonderful woman, Jessie.”

“Are you seeing someone else?” Jessie said. “Oh my God! You are. You’re fucking somebody else! Who?”

 “I’m sorry,” Rick said and he left.

*

Michonne trusted that Andre Anthony was safe with his fathers so she went out on a run.  Mike and Terry were both fierce and capable fighters, but Michonne was better and they wanted to put their best food forward.

She left with Shane, Glenn and Daryl. 

Michonne stayed quiet throughout the drive over.  She had nothing to say to these men.

This morning she’d gathered enough information to make some sense of the place.  Rick’s group had been newcomers to Alexandria just like her a few months ago. 

Since then, they’d taken control of the entire operation. All the family members of the congresswoman who’d been acting as the mayor of this community were now dead except for one of them - her cowardly, biddable son.  Rick had outright killed the town doctor, who had been the abusive husband of the pretty blonde most people thought Rick was already fucking.

Michonne understood that in order to survive here, she needed to make herself useful to the people in those three houses.  So useful that they thought of her as one of their own.  Then these survivors would do anything to keep her family safe.

They parked the car by the general store. Michonne held her katana at the ready and followed the men inside. The stench of rotting food greeted them, along with the scratch of several scuttling footsteps.

“Walkers,” Daryl said.

The inventory on a lot of the shelves had spilled over, but a quick scope of the cavernous store indicated that there were a lot of potential supplies.

“Be careful,” Shane said. “Let’s separate.”

Michonne found the canned food aisle and filled her canvas bag. She quietly beheaded the few walkers that approached her.

She was making her exit when she heard a crash a few aisles over followed by gunshots.

She ran over, maiming a walker to use as a shield. She bound him to her with her chain.  Together they weaved through the throng to find Glenn. He lay pinned beneath a shelf that had toppled over. He wasn’t seriously hurt or bitten yet but he wouldn’t be able to fend them off much longer.

Michonne gutted her walker, spreading the entrails on Glenn's clothes to mask his human scent. She helped Glenn raise the shelf, their combined strength giving him enough room to escape, and guided him to his feet.

“You saved my life,” Glenn said. “Thank you.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Michonne said.

Shane and Daryl covered them as they escaped. They all safely made it to the car and drove off, Daryl nodding at her in approval.  They’d even secured a good haul despite Glenn’s mishap.

All in all, it had been an informative afternoon. These were men she could work with.  They didn’t leave people behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Rick had done the custody change with Lori this afternoon, his week taking care of Judith already over.  He felt a pang of wistfulness when he watched Rosita and Lori coo and feed his baby in her highchair.  Judith had mushy pieces of the mystery casserole all over her bib and face, even a small piece on one of her eyebrows.

The entire household made an effort to share a meal on Sundays. Everyone sat around the table and Carl had even invited Enid.

“I like Michonne,” Shane said out of the blue.

“Yeah?” Sasha said. “She really fights as good as they say?”

“Better,” Shane said. “She’s a team player.”

Rick’s interest was piqued and he did his best to hide that fact. He’d wanted to ask the guys how Michonne’s first outing had gone ever since he’d come home. “Oh?”

 “She saved Glenn’s life today,” Shane said. 

Rick set down his fork, his heart beating too fast in his chest.  He forced himself to speak calmly. “Now this I have to hear.”

*

Michonne read Andre Anthony a bedtime story about dinosaur-trucks and sang him Nina Simone songs until he fell asleep.

She went downstairs to get a glass of water, stopping in her tracks.  Mike and Terry were just sitting on the living room couch, staring at her.  It was creepy and it looked like the beginning of an unnecessary intervention.

“Rick has another kid,” Mike said.

Terry rolled his eyes. “Yeah, with his ex-wife. A very nice teenager named Carl.”

“And he’s seeing this Jessie woman,” Mike said.

“You haven’t been talking to the right people,” Terry said. “I heard from Heath that Rick and Jessie had a little scene on her front porch this afternoon.  Word on the street is that ship has sunk.”

Rick had broken things off with Jessie because of her?

“Damn, woman,” Mike said. “What did you do?”

Someone knocked on the front door. It had to be Rick.

Mike went to answer first.  Oh yeah, it was her scruffy Sherriff.

“Maybe you should just move in,” Mike said.

“I was hoping to speak with Michonne,” Rick said.

“Come in,” Michonne said.  She took him by the hand and led him to an upstairs bedroom this time.  The one painted pale blue where she kept her clothes. It had a king size bed.

Rick immediately fell to his knees and unbuckled her belt.

“I missed you today,” he said.

She combed her fingers through his hair and he pulled her pants and underwear down.  He spread her legs and licked her pussy. Dear God.

She tried not to pull his hair too much as he used his tongue as a weapon against her. Tonight he knew exactly where and how to touch her to make her wild. He suddenly removed his head and she moaned in protest.

“On the bed,” he said.

She sat on the bed. He stepped out of his pants, his mouth wet from her cunt, his cheeks flushed. He kept his shirt on and advanced, his erection bobbing with his steps.

“Condoms are in my nightstand,” she said.

He found one and put in on. “Lie on your stomach.”

She grabbed a pillow and set it beneath her hips. She pulled off her shirt and lay prone on the bed.  She couldn’t see him, but she could picture him in her head, standing behind her and admiring her naked body.

He grabbed her ass – she’d noticed that about him, he was a butt man- and just played with it for a moment. His calloused fingers digging into the roundness of her cheeks. His cock nudged at the entrance of her vagina, the only warning she had before he thrust into her.

He raised his grip to her hips and adjusted his rhythm so that he came in constant contact with her clit.

She surrendered to being an entity of pure sensation, all her fears and worries disappearing. Her orgasm came sudden and strong.  As if to prove that last night had been an aberration brought upon by abstinence, Rick made her come a second time before finding his own release.

After they fucked, he held her close.

“How was the mission?” Rick said.

“Fine,” Michonne said. She could get used to this.

 “You saved Glenn’s life.”

Michonne shrugged. That was indeed an accurate assessment of what had occurred.

Rick hugged her close. “I want you to be careful out there.”

“I always am.” Michonne tensed. Lord save her from protective menfolk.  “You should go,” she finally said over a yawn.

“Can I stay tonight?” Rick asked, hesitant and clearly expecting rejection.

Michonne turned to look at him. “Why?”

He caressed her cheek. “Part of me is afraid you’ll disappear.”

Michonne considered him for a long moment while her insides played a game of tug of war. Her instinct was to kick him out on his pretty ass, but today she’d come to admire the members of his team.  All the evidence of his leadership led her to believe that he was a good man.

She found within herself the courage to give him a chance.

“Alright,” she said. “We can try. Wait here.”

She put on a pair of sweatpants and Rick’s shirt.  She crept down the hallway, wondering how Andre Anthony’s fathers would react when she stole her son for the evening. But really after all those nights she’d entertained a toddler in the wilderness so they could canoodle, they owed her.

She carefully picked up her sleeping son, carrying him down the hallway.

Mike came out of the washroom. He crossed his arms in a rather ominous way and gave her a pointed look.

Michonne froze with her baby in her arms, like she was caught in the middle of a kidnapping.

 “What are you doing?” he said.

“I’m taking him tonight,” she said somewhat defensively.

“Fine,” Mike muttered. “But I better not catch him calling Rick ‘daddy’.”

*

Over the next week, Michonne kept killing walkers, while Mike and Terry made friendly with the locals. 

Every night Rick came over to their place for supper and stayed till breakfast.  He played with Andre Anthony and helped read his bedtime story.  Rick’s group kept to themselves on their side of the compound so they didn’t know where he went at night, and none of the rest of the community told them.

But Heath, Olivia, all the other members, they knew, so they treated Michonne with an odd mix of respect and caution.  Like she might snitch on them to the principal.

Michonne had decided by this point that she was keeping Rick forever but saw no point in prematurely enlightening him of that fact. 

*

On his way back from a meeting with Noah about the design plans to fortify the wall, Rick noticed the children playing outside.  They were under Beth, Tyreese, Karen and Carol’s watch. The babysitters practically outnumbered the children.

Andre Anthony sat a little apart from the group, quietly drawing on the pavement with some chalk.

“Andre Anthony’s pretty shy,” Carol said, coming up to him and noting the direction of his gaze. “But I think the girls are slowly making him feel more comfortable.”

 “Rick!” Andre Anthony yelled. He ran towards him, and Rick picked up the little boy.

“Hello there.” Rick grinned. “What are you drawing?”

“A dinosaur like from the story last night.” Andre Anthony smiled proudly.

Rick contemplated the squiggles on the concrete. “That’s a very fierce dinosaur.”

Rick finished his conversation with Andre Anthony and set the toddler back down, watching the boy resume his coloring.

A sharp poke to the stomach made him gasp in pain.

“Ow.” Rick rubbed his side and glared at Carol. “What was that for?”

“You know very well what that was for,” Carol fumed. “You’re lucky I always have your back. When word gets out, they’ll kill you.”

Of course Carol had figured out that he was quietly dating Michonne after overhearing one innocent conversation. 

Rick nodded. “I know.”

“They worship the ground she walks on,” Carol said. “Daryl’s whittling her an owl. Maggie and Glenn want her to be the baby’s godmother. I’d break things off with Jessie if I were you.”

“What do you take me for?” Rick said. “I already did.”

“Then maybe they won’t kill you all the way dead,” Carol said doubtfully.


	5. Chapter 5

Michonne was walking home one night when Lori accosted her on the street.

“Michonne!” Lori said. “I was hoping to find you.  We're having a girls’ night at Denise's, strip poker. You should join us.”

Michonne was leery of spending time with Rick’s ex-wife, but if she planned to completely infiltrate this community, there were certain necessary evils she had to accept. “I’ll be there.”

“Don’t worry. They don’t know about you and Rick,” Lori said. “Okay, Rosita knows, but no one else.”

How to respond to that? Yeah, Lori had a new girlfriend, which should mean she'd moved on from her husband, but she was being suspiciously nice, almost too nice.  Was she really okay with Rick seeing someone? “I hope it doesn’t bother you.”

Lori laughed. “Hell no. At least not in the way you think. I just wish he’d given you a little more time before jumping you. If he hurts you in any way, there is a whole line of people who would kill him in a heartbeat.”

Michonne was oddly moved by the death threat. “Thanks, but let’s not do that.”

“If you’re sure.” Lori shrugged. “Is he being good to you?”

 This was so awkward. “Yeah.”

“He’d a good man,” Lori said. “But Lord can he be annoying.”

Michonne found herself nodding.  She was head over heels for the guy, but even she could see that there were certain things he needed to work on. “He talks too much.”

“What?” Lori stared at her in amazement. “You think Rick- Rick? Talks too much?”

Michonne hoped she hadn’t said the wrong thing. “Yeah?” He was always asking her questions about her past and how her day went and making sure she knew that if it meant saving her own skin, it was okay to abandon Daryl and Glenn and especially Shane.

“Wow,” Lori said. “I’m amazed. He must really like you.”

“Who must really like her?” Sasha said, joining them.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Lori said.

Michonne told the women she’d meet them at Denise’s place later.  She quickly went home, where her boys -Andre Anthony, his two fathers, and Rick - were setting the table.

“I have plans tonight,” Michonne told them after the meal. She put the clean plate she'd dried in the cupboard. Rick finished rinsing a handful of utensils and passed them to her.

"We know all about your plans," Mike said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Terry swatted Mike with a wet dish towel. "Behave."

"I don't know about mommy's plans," Andre Anthony said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to girls' night," Michonne said, placing the utensils in the drawer. "Your dad will tuck you in tonight."

“Sounds fun,” Rick said. “Should I head home?”

“Yes,” Mike said.

Terry glared at his partner then smiled at Rick. “He’s kidding. Why don’t you hang out with us until Michonne gets back? There’s so much about Alexandria that we still don’t know.”

“Sure,” Rick said.

Michonne felt a bit wary about leaving Rick alone with them, but they were all grownass men, they could handle themselves.  She went to Denise’s.

All the women were engaged in a game of strip poker around the dining room table, sharing a bottle of Kentucky bourbon.  Rosita sat on Lori's lap. Rosita and Carol appeared to be Michonne's true opponents tonight.

They were the only women who remained fully clothed.  Denise must've lost the latest round, because she was removing one sock. Lori was barefoot but still had pants and her camisole, while Tara was down to her underwear.

“You lost on purpose,” Rosita said, frowning at Denise.

“I did,” Denise said.

“Aw, honey, you didn’t have to,” Tara said. “I think I should bow out before I’m completely naked. Michonne, take my chair.”

Tara gave Michonne her chair and a glass of bourbon.

“Thanks,” Michonne said, sitting down and raising the glass to her lips.  She swallowed a healthy gulp, enjoying the fiery burn of alcohol.

Carol dealt the cards. “I was thinking we should have a barbecue this weekend to welcome Michonne's family to the neighborhood.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Lori said.

“I know you’re out tomorrow,” Carol said. “I was thinking Sunday?”

“Sure,” Michonne said. After that, she set about turning the shitty cards she'd been dealt into a winning hand. 

*

“So how's Jessie?” Shane said.

Rick had only come home for a quick shower and a change of clothes.  He’d been smiling about last night. He’d had a nice time with Mike and Terry, then Michonne had come home and he’d managed to drag it out of her that she’d won the poker game.

He was proud of her skills but he was more pleased that she was making new friends. So he was in a good mood and he didn’t want Shane to ruin it.

Rick reached for his patience.  He knew how this conversation went. It was like groundhog day: he was stuck in a loop where people asked him about his personal life and then hit him. “I said we wouldn’t talk about this.”

“See, Carl went looking for you yesterday. He didn’t find you at her place,” Shane said. “But you sure as hell didn’t sleep here.”

“Is Carl alright?” Rick said.

“He’s fine,” Shane said. “He just asked me some sensitive questions so I sent him over to his dad.”

“Sex questions?” Rick frowned.

“Bingo,” Shane said. “Speaking of, who are you fucking, Rick?”

“Just let it go,” Rick said.

“See, I keep going over it in my mind,” Shane said. “And I can only come up with one answer.  But I keep telling myself, no, Rick wouldn’t ever do something like that.”

“Alright,” Rick said. “Alright, yes, it is who you think it is.”

“You dirty fuck,” Shane said, and punched him in the stomach.

“Jesus.” Rick doubled over, his eyes tearing up from the force of the blow.

“The woman was starved to death and scared for her life and not even here for what, an hour, before you got her into bed? What the fuck, man.”

“It’s not like that,” Rick gasped through the pain.

“Uh-huh,” Shane said. “Sure. Whatever. Dickhead.”

*

Finally, Rick managed to switch schedules with Shane, who was still ripping his hide every chance he got, to go on a run with Michonne.

They left with Daryl and Glenn.  They reached the abandoned warehouse surrounded by c-containers. Everything was fine.  The weather was good, the place was deserted and had some topnotch medical supplies.

But then Michonne opened a container and a stream of walkers came running out, separating them from her.  The noise woke up something in another c-container – the metal door creaking open and more swarms of walkers falling out.

There was no way they could get to her.

Daryl shot arrows and Glenn fired his gun but they’d lost sight of her behind the horde.

 “Fuck,” Rick said and raced for her, shooting his way through the biting, shuffling mass.

But then Michonne ran to him, breaking through the group, dragging at tame walker behind her with that blessed chain.  Rick took hold of her hand and together they raced back into the car.

“Don’t ever do something like that again,” Rick said, crushing Michonne to his chest.  He showered her in kisses as Glenn drove them away.

“I’m fine,” Michonne said, but she returned his embrace.

Rick had been so terrified. He’d thought she was gone. He couldn’t make himself loosen his tight grip.

Only belatedly did he fully realize where he was, and what he’d just revealed to Michonne’s fierce protectors in the front seat.

Tense silence reigned in the car. Daryl glared at Rick through the rear-view mirror like he wanted to scalp him. Glenn was determinedly silent.

“Bastard,” Daryl muttered.

Rick ignored them and held Michonne closer.

*

When they got out of the car, Daryl left without a word.

“Michonne?” Glenn said. “Could I talk to you for a second?”

“You want to talk to Michonne?” Rick sounded insultingly surprised. _Yes, Rick, as hard as it is to believe, I do have friends who sometimes want to talk to me._ “You don’t want to hit me?"

Oh. Oh? That was where Rick was getting all those bruises? People were beating him up because of her?

Glenn glared at Rick. “Trust me, I do.”

“I’ll see you later,” Michonne told Rick, making shooing motions with her hands.  Glenn was not someone you wanted on your bad side.

Rick reluctantly left them alone.

Glenn frowned. “Did Rick tell you he has a girlfriend? Because he does.”

“I think him and Jessie broke up,” Michonne said.

“Really? Still. Daryl and I are more than happy to beat him up for you,” Glenn said.

“I’m okay.”

“You’re sure?” Glenn said.

“Yes.”

*

The atmosphere at the barbecue the following afternoon was tense to say the least.  Oddly, people were reserving most of their glaring and silent treatment for Rick, like he’d committed some unforgivable sin.

At least Andre Anthony was having fun.  He was laughing and running around, playing tag with a group of older kids.

“I think your plan worked too well,” Terry said. “They love you but they hate him.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Mike smirked.

“Michonne?” A lanky boy approached her. They hadn’t been introduced yet, but this was Rick and Lori’s teenage son, Carl.

“Mike, I’m hungry,” Terry said.

Mike blinked at Terry’s full plate. The items on it were not ones you would typically barbecue, but like usual, Carol had worked some kind of miracle. “Of course, follow me.”

Traitors.

“Hi,” Michonne said. “Carl?”

“Yeah,” Carl said. “I hear you’re dating my dad?”

“Yeah,” Michonne said, quickly scanning the crowd. Was Rick planning to stay behind the grill all afternoon?

“Good,” Carl said.

Michonne blinked. “Good?”

“I hate Jessie’s oldest son,” Carl said. “I was hoping – dad keeps trying to-“ Carl blushed scarlet. “Could you tell him that Lori and Rosita already told me about the birds and the bees and get him to leave me alone?”

Michonne smiled. “Sure.”

Carl sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

Carl stayed a little more to chat – turns out they liked similar comic books – and then left to join Enid.

Which is when Jessie came up to her. Michonne braced herself for some unpleasantness.

“Rick and I barely dated,” Jessie said, loudly. “And he broke things off with me last week, which I think is for the best, considering my son wants to kill him.”

Michonne blinked, caught off guard.

Jessie leaned in and whispered, “Carol threatened to stop babysitting my youngest if I didn’t clear the air. I don’t like either of you.”

And then she turned and left.

After Jessie’s loud proclamation of her single state, the glares against Rick lost their heat, not that he noticed.

“What did she whisper to you?” Rick said, finally joining her.

“She doesn’t like us but is smartly afraid of Carol,” Michonne said, eyeing the gathering. Things were better, but still tense. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered. She raised her voice. “Hey everybody, Rick’s dating me.  You can keep punching him about it or not, up to you.”

People nodded and it seemed to relieve most of the tension, since they began laughing and talking among themselves.

Rick smiled and lifted a brow. “You like me.”

She shrugged. “Being your girlfriend is just good strategy.”

“Of course,” Rick said.

“It’s not like I love you,” Michonne said, hating how weak she sounded. She’d been brave a second ago for the benefit of the crowd.

“That’s too bad,” Rick said. “Because I’m completely in love with you.”

“I love you too,” Michonne admitted, despite how scared it made her to say it. Her heart soared. Her son was playing a few feet away from her and she was surrounded by friends and family and the man that she loved. The apocalypse was finally treating her right.

 


End file.
